Owen Finds His Place, Now He Needs A Number

Mattingly Is An Early Arrival

February 22, 1993|By JACK O'CONNELL; Courant Staff Writer

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The welcoming committee was hardly out in full force for Spike Owen, the Yankees' new shortstop. Owen made an early arrival in camp Sunday. As he checked names above the lockers, he didn't see his.

"I finally found my spot when I noticed mail addressed to me on a stool," Owen said, laughing. "I figured that locker was mine. I don't even have a number yet."

A uniform number has not officially been assigned Owen. Equipment manager Nick Priore said Owen would wear No. 41 during training camp but would get a lower number before the start of the season.

"He told me he wore 3, 7 and 11 with his other teams," Priore said. "Not here. Two are retired [3 for Babe Ruth, 7 for Mickey Mantle], and the manager [Buck Showalter] wears the other one. We'll get it straightened out."

Owen, who checked into camp but did not work out, signed a three-year, $7 million contract in December and is being counted on by the Yankees to provide stability at shortstop and veteran leadership.

"I believe in clubhouse chemistry, but at the same time you need talent and this club has it," said Owen, who spent the past four years in Montreal.

Owen also said he was looking forward to being reunited with his former Red Sox teammate, Wade Boggs.

"What happened to him last season [.259 average] only proves that he's human," Owen said. "You don't become a .250 hitter after hitting .350 your whole career. In Boston, he put up averages like .330, .340, .350 consistently. I think he can come back to that."

Mattingly in camp First baseman Don Mattingly also reported to camp but went unnoticed. "He picked a time when the players and the press were busy on the field," Showalter said. "He was going to spend the afternoon fishing with his sons and didn't want to get held up."... Minor league infielders Dave Silvestri and Bobby

DeJardin are working out behind the plate. Silvestri could challenge Jim Leyritz as the team's third catcher, although Showalter seems to be leaning toward keeping only two catchers, Matt Nokes and Mike Stanley. ... Lefthander Brien Taylor, 21, the No. 1 draft choice in 1991, is expected to begin the season at Double A Albany. Asked if Taylor would pitch for the Yankees this year, general manager Gene Michael said, "No, not a chance, absolutely not."

Second-hand report on Perez Showalter said he received a scouting report on righthander Pascual Perez from two journalists from the Dominican Republic. Perez apparently has been working out in his home town of Santiago. One reporter told Showalter: "He is still a happy-go-lucky guy, but he keeps his weight down. And he still has a lot of gold chains." Perez was suspended last year after he tested positive for cocaine at spring training and has not applied for reinstatement